Itsabelly's Tips for Making Home Made Baby Food

By Nicole Mabry, Itsabelly Atlanta

Tips for Making Homemade Baby Food

Gone are the days when feeding baby had to involve commercially prepared glass jars of goo! Now, more and more parents are preparing their own baby food at home and providing baby with a tastier, fresher, healthier and often less expensive alternative.

Shop:

First, a parent must shop for the foods to feed baby. Be sure to follow your pediatrician’s advice on which foods to introduce first and when. Also, be sure to introduce new foods to baby one at a time to make sure that there are no adverse or allergic reactions. Once you have your pediatrician’s OK, it’s time to shop! To protect baby’s developing system from harmful pesticides or hormones, you may want consider organic produce and meats. In the produce category, be sure to buy organic when choosing a fruit or veggie from the “dirty dozen” and chose either organic or conventional produce from the “tempting twelve.” You can learn more about which foods fall into which category in Itsabelly Baby Planner’s book, Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby.

Cook:

One of Itsabelly Baby Planners’ favorite new mommy tools, the Beaba Baby Cook can make baby food preparation a snap! With this handy machine, a parent can steam and puree foods for baby with one small appliance.

If parents don’t have a Beaba Baby Cook on hand, then they can steam food in the traditional way. Steaming is often the preferred method of cooking as it helps fruits and veggies to retain the most nutrients.

Once food is cooked, it must be pureed or mashed for young babies. The Beaba will do the trick in this case as will the food processor or blender that you may already have at home.

Some foods also require thinning; water, breastmilk or formula can be used to thin baby food to an edible consistency. Be sure to follow safe freezing practices for milk.

Store:

Since baby’s tummy is tiny – only about the size of his fist, a parent will want to save some food for later. Many homemade baby food makers use ice cube trays to freeze and store food in baby sized portions. Baby Cubes are also a great storage solution. Make sure that any food storage system you choose for baby’s meals are free of BPA, phthalates and PVC.

Think you’ll need additional help in becoming a babyfood gourmet? Call your local Itsabelly Baby Planner for consultation or write us at info@itsa-belly.com.